A common method to teach a person to remember short phrases is to have that person read a phrase followed by an instructor reading the phrase out loud. Since an instructor may not always be available, various devices have been developed to allow a student to practice independently. While prior art devices can be effectively be used for independent study in a wide range of topics, the apparatus and method which is the subject of this invention is particularly suited for study of inspirational phrases. Undoubtedly, it is vital to capture the students' attention and imagination in order for the learning experience to be effective. One of the novel features of the invented device is its ability to attract the typical students' attention as well as orient his thoughts in an inspirational direction.
Various types of educational teaching devices abound in the prior art. One group of prior art can be classified as purely visual. These include C. O. Johnston, U.S. Pat. No. 2,301,738 dated Feb. 9, 1943 which features a mock-up of a cathedral wherein cards displaying religious scenes can be inserted. Murphy U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,893 dated Jan. 9, 1973 features doors that open to reveal a scene when preselected cards are inserted in the appropriate order. Another device, Elliott U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,024, features manually operated shutters as well as an audio visual display featuring a picture and words describing said picture. It is clear that the prior art does not disclose an educational apparatus particularly suited for teaching inspirational verses which incorporates shutters that open automatically to reveal a seemingly mobile inspirational symbol coupled with a visual display and an audio voiceover.